Landslide and Debris Flow, La Conchita, California

R.L. Schuster U.S. Geological Survey

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La Conchita is a small seaside community along Highway 101, north of Santa Barbara. This landslide and debris flow occurred in the spring of 1995. Many people were evacuated because of the slide, and the nine houses nearest the slide were heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured. Note the crescent-shaped scarp at the head of the slump.

The slopes above streams and rivers are subjected to a variety of processes that cause them to recede and retreat from the river or stream channel. These processes, collectively called mass wasting, can be classified according to rapidity of movement and according to the type of materials that are transported.